Fish Pie
by hiatus-desu
Summary: Sequel to Catfish. Cafe Mew Mew is in ruins, and Ryou and Retasu have grown ever closer. However, Pai has other things in mind for the innocent green Mew, and Ichigo and the other Mews vow to stop him. ON HIATUS . RyouXRetasu
1. Part One

A/N: I got a few nice reviews for Catfish, and the feeling took me to write a sequel. If you're new to this story, please read Catfish first to fully understand the plot. I would give a small summary of it on here, but I don't want to spoil the storyline if you haven't read it yet. **Please be aware that this T rating might go up as the story goes on**.

**Warning:** onesided PaiXRetasu, obsessive!Pai, slight hints of IchigoXKisshu, PurinXTaruto, and ZakuroXKeiichiro.

* * *

Motionless.

The five Mews, dressed in normal attire, stood at the edge of the ruined site sectioned off by the police. Retasu gazed at the rubble that lay haphazardly across the large landscape, her turquoise beaded slippers slightly scuffed. Zakuro had one comforting hand on her shoulder, with the other hand gently patting Mint's back. The supermodel had tried her best to hide her trademark sparkling features with a pair of large sunglasses and a stetson hat, but had still attracted a few double-takes from the local men. She sighed as she gazed at the other two Mews, Ichigo and Purin.

"This ... this is really Cafe Mew Mew, na-no-da ..." Purin mumbled, breaking the silence. She enclosed her small fist around the yellow police tape, and crouched down to collect a handful of the remains.  
"Where do we go now?" Mint choked. The other Mews turned to see tears sliding down the blue Mew's face, as she covered her face with her hands, her sobs now in full flow. Ichigo gasped - half in surprise at this emotional outburst, and half in pity for her friend - and stepped a little closer to Mint. Retasu also sidled a little closer to her group of friends, as they mourned for their old workplace, and any good chance of defeating the aliens.

"Everyone."

The Mews all glanced to see the speaker. Ryou Shirogane joined the group, and reassuringly held Mint's shoulders in a hug as she attempted to calm herself down. While she sniffed and sighed, Ryou addressed the rest of the group.

"Okay, listen now. The machines and data we used in the cafe basement to foretell the aliens' movements have been destroyed beyond repair. I must admit ... this has set us back considerably."

The Mews all let out squeaks of despair. Retasu had moaned shakily; her hands clasped to her mouth, her blue eyes swimming with worry. Minto had frozen in an expression of shock, the remaining tears rolling unchecked down her cheek. Ichigo and Zakuro looked a little more determined. Retasu, glancing at her friends, could almost see the cogs of Zakuro's brain working underneath her flowing purple hair. Turning to her flame-haired feline friend, she noticed that Ichigo's eyes shone with an unbeatable dedication, despite her protesting words coming out in stutters.

"Sh-Shirogane! You ... you ... couldn't have kept all of your m-m-machines in Cafe Mew M-Mew!"

Purin was quick to agree; nodding violently, her entire body quivering with fear. Ryou's expression softened when he met Retasu's eyes. She seemed to have a new courage flickering in her, inspired by the strength of the team leader and the 'big sister' of them all. She smiled at him encouragingly, urging him to speak. He closed his eyes, and let his head fall in an apologetic bow.

"As I lived above Cafe Mew Mew, I am afraid to say that ... yes, I did. But," he added, as Ichigo opened her mouth in a fury and Purin let out a scream, "until we can fix this problem somehow, we will just have to be more watchful, more cautious, and please ensure you keep your pendants with you at all times."

The Mews fell silent as they contemplated this situation. Both Ichigo and Purin were breathing heavily, each breath producing clouds in the frosty air. Retasu made a small noise, interrupting the silence between the girls. Everybody looked up to listen, desperate for ideas.

"Ano ... Shirogane-kun ... where is Akasaka-san? And where are you staying?"

Ryou gave a small sigh and the other four Mews listened, concerned for their big brother figure. "Keiichiro is currently residing at his home, and I have been living with him for the time being helping him with daily household chores. His injuries are healing, though unfortunately the doctors do not know how scarred he will be after the healing process."

"May we ... visit him?" Retasu enquired timidly, fiddling with the hem of her skirt. The Mews around her murmured in agreement - Keiichiro's usually cheerful disposition could light the darkest of times. Ryou gave a sharp nod and smiled slightly as he took Retasu's hand. "Okay. Let's go and visit him."

Three-quarters of an hour later, the girls and Ryou stepped into the hallway of Keiichiro's home. The walls were a chocolate brown, and photos and certificates in cream-coloured frames hung upon them. A small ivory table stood in the corner, and lying upon it was an answerphone machine, the small light blinking every few seconds. Retasu seemed hyptonised by it, as she thought of the journey here.

As they had moved slowly away from the once thriving cafe, the Mews could not help but look back with each step they took, feeling a deep sadness. Only when the heap of rubble was out of sight did they face forward and resume a normal walking speed. Purin immediately came up with the idea that they should buy Keiichiro flowers - much to the agreement of Retasu and Ichigo. Zakuro just nodded curtly, and Mint emitted a small half-hearted grunt.

Purin had rushed into the florist's like a child in a sweet shop. Retasu had smiled as she thought how excitable Purin and her siblings would be in a sweet shop - but remembered that the little monkey girl had been hoarding all the sweets Taruto had once given her, provoking a feeling of pity for Purin. _At only ten years of age, poor Purin's smitten._

Ten minutes later, they shouted their goodbyes to the middle-aged woman who ran the florist's who waved them off cheerfully. She had seemed to take Purin's enthusiasm to be cute, like many other adults she came across. Purin had finally picked a bunch of pink roses, making Ryou's eyes widen slightly when he contemplated how ... feminine roses seemed to be. However, Retasu noticed this expression and assured him with a tinkling laugh that Keiichiro did seem like a 'rosy man' and that he'd enjoy them. He'd visibly relaxed then, and let Purin take the money from his wallet to pay for them.

"Akasaka-san!"

Retasu was quickly pulled into the present time as Ichigo stepped slowly down the hallway, calling for the chef. She immediately bent down to pull off her slip-on shoes, but lost her footing and tumbled against the wall. Ryou and Zakuro quickly caught hold of her before she knocked the delicate white table, but it was enough activity for Keiichiro to poke his head around an almost invisible doorway, scaring half of the life out of Ichigo. His head was half covered in white bandage concealing one of his eyes and his left ear. He carried a walking stick as he limped out of the room, and the girls gasped in shock and pity.

"Retasu-san? Are you okay?" Keiichiro tottered to the green-haired Mew as she righted herself, blushing furiously.

"Yes, Akasaka-san, I'm fine ... how are your wounds?"

"They're healing fine ... please, everybody, come on in. Ryou made some cake earlier, it's just cooled down enough for everyone to eat ... and let's discuss our situation."


	2. Part Two

A/N: Very, very slight one-sided MintXKeiichiro here. Not really worth mentioning, but I thought I would just in case I got reviews stating "Hey, I thought it was ZxK". Rest assured, there will be ZxK. A bit of a short/boring chapter, really, it should be Part One-point-Five. But I do hope you enjoy.

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Keiichiro smiled encouragingly at the girls to follow Purin's lead. Purin, upon seeing the creamy mountain of cake heaped on the plate, had squealed with childish joy and taken some straight away, standing at the table. The other girls had politely seated themselves around the room - Mint and Zakuro lounging on the sofa, Retasu perched on a little pouffe, Ichigo sitting at Retasu's feet, and Ryou sitting opposite Keiichiro on two large leather chairs. For a minute, all that could be heard were the ticks of the clock, Purin's groans of pleasure as she stuffed herself with cake, and Ryou clearing his throat.

"So ... Keiichiro ... what is the first move?"

Keiichiro leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, and spoke in a businesslike tone. The girls leaned forward in the same fashion to catch every word, and even Purin slowed down her chewing to gaze at her 'onii-chan' in wide-eyed curiosity.

"The first move - as Ryou may have already told you - is to keep constant vigilance. Please take note of everything going on around you, and keep your pendants with you at all times. Our temporary meeting place will be here - please make sure that when you travel here, you are not being followed. It would be dreadful if the aliens discovered us here."

Ichigo's shoulders slumped in disappointment, and the other Mews looked slightly crestfallen. "Akasaka-san, is that all we can do?"

Keiichiro straightened up in his chair a little. "I am sorry, Ichigo, but that is all you Mews can do for the time being. It is frustrating, yes; but this time is also the most dangerous for us. Meanwhile, Ryou and I will be working towards repairing our technological difficulty."

Ryou stood up with a slight grunt and walked to the table. Retasu heard the tinkle of hot tea against china, and felt a warm cup being pressed into her hands. She smiled again at Ryou, trying to hide her fretful worry. Mint held the saucer and the tea-cup as she always did; but her eyes were fogged over by morose defeat. Zakuro was sipping from her cup daintily, but Retasu could easily see the calculating wolf's mind whirring. Slightly more inspired, she glanced down at Ichigo, whose cup was by her knees. Ichigo herself had her hands balled into fists, determination personified.

Once again, Retasu felt new heart glowing inside her, and in spite of her shy self, spoke to Mint.

"Mint-san ... please, don't look so _defeated_!"

Mint defensively glared at Retasu, who immediately recoiled. "I am not _defeated_, Retasu. But this is the toughest case we have ever faced as a team ..."

"You're not going to run away again?" came a mature, cold voice. Mint flinched as Zakuro perched on the end of her seat, a muscle in her normally relaxed face twitching. "Do you still have enough faith in us? Faith in your reason to fight for this planet?"

Mint gasped as an image of her little dog Miki floated to the surface of her mind. Miki had been with her for most of her life. When she was upset or lonely, it had not been the arms of a mother who comforted her; it had been the friendly lick on the cheek from her puppy. A few tears slid down Mint's cheeks, and dripped into her tea. "O-onee-sama..."

"Mint ... there's a tough time in every situation," Ichigo chimed in, "and we all have to fight. Retasu and Zakuro-san are right. We need to stand together as a team." She crawled over to Mint's side of the sofa, and laid her head on the arm-rest, hoping it would be enough comfort for her lorikeet friend.

Purin had stayed oddly silent through most of this. Retasu turned to her little friend, while Mint defiantly wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, and Keiichiro let a friendly chuckle escape his lips. Mint blushed slightly, and glanced down, biting her bottom lip.

"Purin-san?"

Purin looked up at the green Mew through her blonde fringe, slightly lost in her reflection staring back from the lenses of Retasu's round glasses. "Yes, Retasu-onee-chan ... Purin is fine, na-no-da ... but Purin misses Taru-Taru."


	3. Part Three

A/N: The end of the chapter might be pushing the T rating a little bit, but we'll see. I note that it's my first time writing a romantic scene in detail; I hope I've done a fairly good job.

* * *

"I'm sorry this has been such a glum visit," Keiichiro commented gallantly. "I hope that we receive some good fortune soon."

He stepped towards the Mews to bid them farewell; brushing his lips across the hands of Ichigo, Retasu, Zakuro and Minto; and affectionately ruffling Purin's hair. Although it wasn't seemingly very noticeable in the twilight; Zakuro allowed her cheeks to colour with a gentle blush as she absent-mindedly laid the hand that Keiichiro had kissed upon her heart. Unfortunately Minto picked that moment to glance at her onee-sama, and her eyes glinted when she recognised Zakuro's infatuation with the chef.

Upon leaving Keiichiro's home, Ryou insisted on walking the Mews home. Luckily, Purin's house was first. The blonde Mew may be energetic and dedicated, Ryou thought secretly, but she's very young and quite immature ... an easy target for the aliens.

Retasu too worried for Purin. She knew that Purin hated to fight and would rather braid Pai's hair, pull Kisshu's ribbons and play hide and seek with Taruto ... but the aliens had completely different plans. Even Taruto, young as he was, knew perfectly well what he was doing and didn't seem to reciprocate Purin's extended hand offering friendship.

Ichigo and Mint were walking silently just a little behind everybody else. Zakuro's wolf-instinct prickled, and she strained to hear any snippets of whispered conversation. She hadn't noticed Mint's observation at the doorstep; but she knew that it wasn't like Mint or Ichigo to walk together. She needn't have feared. Mint and Ichigo were walking together, in step and in silence. As they turned the corner, they arrived at Purin's home. Purin spun around and grinned at the group.

"Thanks for walking me back, guys! I'll see you ... um ..."

"I'll come and fetch you on Wednesday, at two o' clock, Purin-san." Retasu confirmed. She smiled sweetly and the yellow Mew's smile grew wider as she hurried into the veranda, waving frantically at the small group.

"See you, Retasu! Bye-bye everyone!"

The group of remaining Mews waved and shouted their farewell; and walked down a side-street that was a short-cut to Ichigo's home. Mint suddenly stopped, pulling something from inside her bag. The other three Mews turned, curious.

"I'm going to call my maid," Mint stated, flipping open her state-of-the-art mobile telephone in a flourish. "Hopefully, our driver will be here soon. May I offer you a lift, onee-sama?"  
Zakuro glanced at Ryou, who gave her a nod. She herself was tired, and quite hungry for a warm meal. She smiled in agreement at Mint, who beamed and immediately started dialling the number.  
Ryou, Retasu and Ichigo waited with the two Mews to ensure their safety; until five minutes after her telephone conversation a large black limousine's engine purred as it drove sleekly and swiftly around the corner, the tyres just grazing the side of the pavement. Zakuro and Mint gracefully climbed into the back, and with a roar of the engine, the limo drove into the distance between the buildings, like a black panther stalking through a jungle.

Ryou, Ichigo and Retasu continued on their journey towards Ichigo's home. By now it was quickly approaching the night; so in order to keep her fears at bay, Ichigo started gabbling about anything that came to mind - music, television, what was going on in the world - while Ryou and Retasu would nod in agreement. Finally arriving at her house, Ichigo fumbled with her keys as she unlocked the door. Retasu could hear a man's voice yell out; and knew Ichigo's father was angry.

"ICHIGO! We told you to be back by six! Look at the time, it's nearly eight o' clock!"

Ryou swiftly made his exit as Ichigo spluttered, only stopping to catch Retasu's arm. Retasu had been nervously wondering whether to leave Ichigo to it; or stick up for her friend. The decision had been made for her; as she scampered with Ryou down an alleyway, hoping it wasn't a dead-end.

The couple came out onto the edge of a busy road. Ryou grabbed Retasu's hand as they walked at a more comfortable pace across the crossing, the headlights from the patiently waiting cars illuminating the two figures. Retasu's heartbeat had galloped like a racehorse when running down the street; and it still hadn't calmed down - but for an entirely different reason. Ryou's fingers were still intertwined with hers. They walked along the path a little more, Retasu shyly pointing out the route to her house. Ryou turned quickly into a corner without a single word, into a dark passageway leading to the side-street Retasu resided in.

The only light came from a single lamppost marking the end of the passage, and several lights from inside the houses glimmered like watchful eyes. When Ryou slowed his pace down slightly, Retasu took advantage of the lack of light, and reached out with her free hand. She gently stroked the hand holding hers, and felt it tremble slightly as Ryou's silhouetted head turned to gaze at her. He stepped towards her, and Retasu let out a gasp to accompany her blush spreading like wildfire across her cheeks. Soon, all light was extinguished from Retasu's eyes as Ryou pulled her close, and she closed her eyes automatically as instinct took over. Losing her breath, she followed the steps in the fantasy she immersed herself in late at night; even she was not too shy to welcome heart-throbbing thoughts of her first adult encounter.

The moments seemed to melt away. Retasu's mind felt obliviously relaxed, while her heart still pounded furiously against her ribcage. She'd left it to pure instinct as to how she should perform at kissing ... though she wasn't too sure about anything else. Yes, she had watched chick-flicks at Minto's house and giggled at the romantic scenes just like the others; but she could never imagine herself physically going through those acts. Now, she didn't have to imagine. It was happening, in real life, in real time!

Maybe happening a little too quickly. She'd felt Ryou's hand gently brush up against the fabric of her dress. The temperature of Retasu's cheeks seemed to rise even higher as Ryou had gently pushed against her left breast, caressing her figure - which was trembling with the sheer concept that she, Retasu Midorikawa, was lusted after physically by this heart-throb; and the pace that this embrace was reaching.

She grasped the back of his damp shirt, and gave a slight groan against his lips. "Shirogane-kun ... please."

She didn't know whether that was a plea to continue or a plea to stop. Still, Retasu was the first to pull away, light-headed and giddy - both with the sensation of her first kiss (and what a kiss!) and the sheer embarrassment of having done so in an alleyway. A deserted alleyway; but public to all eyes nevertheless. Ryou steadied her, his strong hands holding her waist. "Are you alright, Retasu?"

"Y-yes ... I'm s-sorry, Shirogane-kun, just ... not this far. Not now."

Retasu could see the silhoutted head of Ryou nod understandingly. "I'm sorry, Retasu. I'll - I'll take you home now."

The couple walked in silence from the alleyway, while Retasu tried her hardest to calm her throbbing cheeks. Ryou still had his arm protectively around her waist; and she smiled as they fell into step together, walking up the lamp-lit street to Retasu's home.

What the couple didn't notice, was that two glaring eyes incensed with rage had witnessed them - and wasn't about to let them get away with it.


End file.
